Non-prescription Cholesterol Lowering

Alcohol

Alcohol does not reduce total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol levels, but ingesting 1 to 2 drinks of alcohol per day (a “drink” being the equivalent of 1 ½ oz) can increase HDL levels (the “good” cholesterol) and reduce the risk of heart attack. However, because alcohol is addicting and because more than 1 or 2 drinks per day can cause serious medical problems (including heart failure), the American Heart Association recommends that doctors not encourage their patients to resort to alcohol to improve their cardiovascular risk. Heck, I’m not even supposed to be telling you this.

Click here for a more complete (and a somewhat subversive) discussion of the potential benefits alcohol.

Back to Non-prescription Cholesterol Lowering